Description
A comforting Italian soup made from a whole roasting chicken and fresh vegetables, simmered to perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 whole roasting chicken (about 5 pounds)
- 1 batch chicken giblets and neck (use everything from the cavity)
- enough water (to completely cover the chicken)
- ⅛ cup whole peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 carrots (cut into thirds)
- 3 celery stalks (cut into thirds)
- 1 white onion (peeled, root removed, cut in half)
- 6 garlic cloves
- salt (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- all of the strained chicken broth from the stock pot
- cooked chicken meat (picked from the bones)
- a few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped garlic
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- juice of 1 large lemon
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- shaved Parmesan cheese
- chili crisp or Calabrian chili oil
- crusty Italian bread
- optional: cooked pasta on the side
Instructions
- Clean the whole chicken thoroughly.
- Place the chicken, giblets, and neck into a large stock pot. Fill with water until the chicken is completely covered — about ¾ of the pot or slightly more.
- Add peppercorns, bay leaves, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt, and olive oil.
- Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 5–10 minutes, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer (just small bubbles).
- Simmer for at least 3 hours, longer if you can.
- Pro Tip: This slow simmer is what gives Italian Penicillin Soup its healing qualities. The longer the bones cook, the more collagen and minerals are released into the broth.
- In a separate soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium to medium-low heat.
- Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Sweat slowly until softened and fragrant — do not brown.
- Add the chopped garlic and sauté briefly until aromatic.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it deepens in color and smells rich.
- Place a colander over a large bowl. Carefully pour everything from the stock pot into the colander. Reserve the broth.
- Pull out the carrots and celery from the strained contents and add them directly into the soup pot with the tomato paste mixture.
- Instead of blending, mash the vegetables right in the pot using a potato masher. Old-school Italian method: No blender, fewer dishes, and better texture.
- Pour the strained broth into the soup pot and bring to a boil.
- Using your hands, pick the chicken meat from the bones, carefully checking for any bones. Add the chicken to the soup.
- Simmer for 5–10 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
- Add the chopped parsley and squeeze in the juice of one large lemon.
- Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. The lemon is essential — it brightens this Italian Penicillin Soup and balances the rich, slow-simmered broth.
Notes
- This soup can be served with crusty Italian bread.
- Optional: Add cooked pasta on the side for a hearty meal.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 100mg